LouisaI knew that the news would spread fast around the kingdom. I just wasn’t prepared for how fast. I spoke to my parents after Liam left, and they were very happy with my decision to accept him. His family was also happy for us when we saw them at breakfast the next morning and things were moving along much faster than I thought they would.By lunchtime, Liam had shown me to my office and I had met all the staff in the castle, some of whom were already asking me questions I wasn’t entirely sure I could answer. Thankfully, Helena and her mother were there to guide me through it with Bennie keeping an amusingly close eye on Helena.The two of them were so funny since they were resisting what was clearly there. They belonged together and, although their friendship might be what was keeping them apart, I believed it was also the very thing that would keep them together.After lunch, Liam and I went for a walk through the gardens and talked about what we both wanted for our futures. We
HelenaThe time was just too short, and we were distracted! Before we could stop it, my heat hit and the entire kingdom was about to go up in flames in my mind. I felt delirious as the pain burned through my body. Bennie and I discussed what could happen, but we just weren’t able to get to that point yet.I wasn’t like my brother. I couldn’t just jump in because the moon goddess whom I had never met decided that Bennie was the right person for me. So, my heat hit when we needed it least, and nearly half of the kingdom ground to a complete halt. Of course, I was oblivious to everything the kingdom had to go through.My mind was showing me images of me and Bennie in positions I never thought we would be in while my body burned as though I was sitting right in the middle of a hellfire.BennieIt was the worst form of torture. I couldn’t leave my room for fear that I might find a way into Helena’s room somehow. My wolf was howling in pain because our mate that was just across the hall was
LouisaHelena and I became friends quickly thanks to the fact that we were so similar and that was probably why she felt she could confide in me about Bennie. After her heat, she still hadn’t made a final decision and I would never say this without him knowing, but Liam was grateful that his sister waited. He wanted me to have that special day even though it was a little rushed there at the end.My heat subsided almost instantly because he marked me and our first time was very rushed, but it was incredible. It was more than I ever expected, and I felt like a new person. I was a mate and the queen and had some new responsibilities that Helena helped me to navigate. I didn’t expect to see Liam a lot during the day, so imagine my surprise when he showed up out of nowhere and almost kidnapped me.At first, I felt incredibly self-conscious that we were making love in the middle of the day, but it was so much fun that Liam soon distracted me enough to actually enjoy it. When we fell onto th
HelenaMy brother was so in love that he couldn’t see what was right in front of him! I could be wrong, and it could just be a huge mistake or a smidge on the paper, but my instincts told me I wasn’t wrong. It infuriated me that Liam couldn’t see it.“Why are you so angry?” Bennie appeared beside me and I rolled my eyes, sighing deeply. When he was just my friend, I would have gladly told him, but things had changed, and I couldn’t just blurt things out anymore. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but that was how I felt.“Because he won’t listen.” I threw my hands in the air. I felt shock run through my entire body when Bennie out of the blue put his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer. His warm body pressed up against mine, making my heart race just a little.“Have you considered that he might have a good reason?” Bennie frowned and I rolled my eyes.“Because he is thinking with his little brain and not the big one.” I raised one brow while trying to get out of his grip, but he was
LouisaThe trip was exhausting but so worth it. Although the northern kingdom was a part of our kingdom, it almost looked as though we had stepped into another world. The winter was in the air, and it was fresh and crisp as it pulled into my lungs.I could feel that Liam was nervous and slightly anxious, and I wondered if me coming on the trip with him was what was making him so nervous. Our guards were on high alert for anything suspicious as we entered the town. The alpha greeted us looking upset, but Liam quickly put him in his place with a soft growl.We were settled in what I suspected was the old castle and Liam ordered the alpha to meet us in the office. He didn’t want me wandering around on my own and asked that I stick to his side the entire time before we entered the city. Liam demanded to see the original paperwork and the alpha started to stutter. Liam insisted, and he had no other choice but to hand it over.It was clear instantly that the paperwork had been changed and L
LouisaThe pack was growing worse by the minute and I paced back and forth wishing that Liam would return. If anything happened now. If they broke through the defenses, we had. I would be all alone. I heard footsteps coming and when I looked up, he walked into the office. It felt as though he had been gone forever, but he had actually only been gone for a couple of hours.I ran straight into his arms and he clung to me. While stroking my hair, he tried to comfort me, but the noise from outside was drowning out his words. He lifted my chin and I looked into his eyes. I saw a confidence there I hadn’t even noticed before.“You are safe. I will make sure you stay safe. Okay?” He frowned, and it was as though his words and his confidence were giving me confidence. “Now, the men in prison all admitted to the crimes, and they also confirmed that nobody else was involved. The people you hear out there are upset because their alpha has been taken prisoner without a reason. We …” He hesitated.
HelenaWhen we received the news that everything was okay, I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. The missing grain was on the way back, but Liam and Louisa were spending a couple of days in the northern kingdom just to make sure that everything would stay okay. Having all of these different regions made it very hard to run the kingdom.It was just the way things were, and we had no other choice but to take care of all the people. Not that I didn’t love taking care of them. I just sometimes wish we weren’t the royal family. Now that there was peace again, the reality of my life came sharply into view.I needed to make a decision. If I put it off any longer, I would have another surge of heat and that would be very bad for our kingdom. From the stories I heard about the first time, it was really tough keeping the single male wolves out of the castle, and it was worse for Bennie.He was across the hall from me. I looked at him as he gave the warriors the
LouisaThe news that Helena and Bennie had finally accepted each other came at just the right time. Liam was planning to stay in the northern kingdom for the winter, but I knew Helena wanted us to be there for the ceremony.“We can come back here in the spring. I’m sure it’s even more beautiful then.” I tried to convince him that it was for the best, but I could see he felt torn between his duty towards his people and his duty towards his sister.“If something happens while we are gone …” Liam’s voice trailed off, and I put my arms around his waist, looking deep into his eyes.“Then we will deal with it. How much trouble can they really cause during the winter, Liam? Nobody can go very far.” I shrugged and he nodded.“You are the reason to my wild side.” He smiled as he pulled me closer and kissed me. With that decision finally made, we started packing and, in the morning, we left the northern region. I had made a point of calling it that, since it wasn’t really a kingdom anymore, and